User generated ads based on check-ins

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating and utilizing photo advertisements (“ads”). In one embodiment, a photo check-in process is performed for a user located within a geographic check-in zone which results in a photo advertisement that is utilized as a photo check-in for the user. In another embodiment, a photo advertisement is posted as a status update for a user via a social networking service. In another embodiment, photo advertisements are created by users and stored for subsequent use in serving ad requests.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/412,584, filed Nov. 11, 2010, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______,entitled USER GENERATED PHOTO ADS USED AS STATUS UPDATES, which wasfiled ______; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitledSERVING AD REQUESTS USING USER GENERATED PHOTO ADS, which was filed______; both of which are commonly owned and assigned and are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to user generated advertisements.

BACKGROUND

Check-in services, such as the FourSquare™ check-in service, allow usersto announce their presence at Points of Interest (POIs) such as businessestablishments. Further, other services, such as some social networkingservices, are starting to provide similar check-in features. There is aneed and a desire to utilize check-ins of users in a manner thatadvertises the corresponding POIs.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating and utilizing photoadvertisements (“ads”). In one embodiment, a photo check-in process isperformed for a user located within a geographic check-in zone whichresults in a photo advertisement that is utilized as a photo check-infor the user. More specifically, one or more photo ad templates that areapplicable to the check-in zone are obtained, where each photo adtemplate includes one or more photo wells. A photo advertisement is thengenerated based on one of the photo ad templates such that a fillerimage of a different one of one or more participants identified for thephoto advertisement is inserted into each of the one or more photo wellsin the photo ad template. The photo advertisement is then used as aphoto check-in for the user. In one embodiment, the photo advertisementis also used as a status update of the user. In another embodiment, thephoto advertisement is stored and subsequently used to serve adrequests.

In another embodiment, a photo advertisement is posted as a statusupdate for a user via a social networking service. More specifically,first, one or more photo ad templates are obtained for the user, whereeach photo ad template includes one or more photo wells. The one or morephoto ad templates may be relevant to a geographic location of the user,a website that the user has visited, a website that the user has loggedinto, a product that the user has purchased, a service that the user haspurchased, an event attended by the user, a viewing experience of theuser (e.g., a video watched by the user or a series of videos watched bythe user), a listening experience of the user (e.g., a song listened toby the user or an album listened to by the user), or the like. A photoadvertisement is then generated based on one of the photo ad templatessuch that a filler image of a different one of one or more participantsidentified for the photo advertisement is inserted into each of the oneor more photo wells in the photo ad template. The photo advertisement isthen used as a status update for the user. In another embodiment, thephoto advertisement is stored and subsequently used to serve adrequests.

In another embodiment, photo advertisements are created by users andstored for subsequent use in serving ad requests. More specifically,first, one or more photo ad templates are obtained for the user, whereeach photo ad template includes one or more photo wells. The one or morephoto ad templates may be relevant to a geographic location of the user,a website that the user has visited, a website that the user has loggedinto, a product that the user has purchased, a service that the user haspurchased, an event attended by the user, or the like. A photoadvertisement is then generated based on one of the photo ad templatessuch that a filler image of a different one of one or more participantsidentified for the photo advertisement is inserted into each of the oneor more photo wells in the photo ad template. The photo advertisement isthen stored. This process is repeated such that numerous photoadvertisements are stored. At some point, an ad request is received froma requestor. The requestor is preferably a website or web service suchas, for example, a social networking service. In response, one or moreof the photo advertisements that satisfy the ad request are selected andreturned to the requestor.

In another embodiment, a computer server obtains and stores user-createdphoto advertisements. Each of the user-created photo advertisements isgenerated based on a corresponding photo ad template having one or morephoto wells such that filler images of one or more participants areinserted into the one or more photo wells. For each user-created photoadvertisement, the one or more participants include at least a user bywhich the photo advertisement was created. In addition, the computerserver effects use of the stored user-created photo advertisements assponsored advertisements.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the presentdisclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inassociation with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for generating and utilizing user generatedphoto advertisements (“ads”) according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary photo ad template used to generate photoadvertisements according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an exemplary photo ad template used togenerate photo advertisements according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of the system of FIG. 1 to generate aphoto advertisement according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a flow chart illustrating a process for generating aphoto advertisement according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 6A through 6E illustrate an exemplary Graphical User Interface(GUI) that may be provided to enable a user to create a photoadvertisement according to the process of FIGS. 5A and 5B;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary GUI that may be provided to a potentialparticipant to obtain permission to be used in a photo advertisement;

FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of the system of FIG. 1 to store andutilize photo advertisements generated by the users to serve ad requestsaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary webpage presented to a user of thesocial networking service of FIG. 1 in which photo advertisements arepresented as status updates from corresponding friends of the user andused as sponsored advertisements according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 10 through 15 illustrate several additional embodiments of a photoad template according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the check-in server of FIG. 1 according toone embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the social network server of FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of one of the user devices of FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments andillustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading thefollowing description in light of the accompanying drawing figures,those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosureand will recognize applications of these concepts not particularlyaddressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts andapplications fall within the scope of the disclosure and theaccompanying claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 that enables the generation andutilization of user-created photo advertisements (“ads”) according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 10 includes acheck-in server 12, a social network server 14, a number of user devices16-1 through 16-N (generally referred to herein collectively as userdevices 16 and individually as user device 16) having associated users18-1 through 18-N (generally referred to herein collectively as users 18and individually as user 18) located within a check-in zone 20, and auser device 22 having an associated user 24 communicatively coupled viaa network 26. The network 26 is generally any type of network suitableto allow interaction between the check-in server 12, the social networkserver 14, the user devices 16, and the user device 22. For example, thenetwork 26 may be a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN),or any combination thereof and may include wired and/or wirelesscomponents. Preferably, the network 26 is a distributed, public accessnetwork such as, for example, the Internet, where the check-in server12, the social network server 14, the user devices 16, and the userdevice 22 are capable of connecting to the network 26 via wired and/orwireless connections. An exemplary wired connection to the network 26 isan Ethernet connection. Exemplary wireless connections are cellularcommunications connections (e.g., 3G or 4G cellular communicationsconnections such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)connections, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connections, Long TermEvolution (LTE) connections, or the like) and local wireless connections(e.g., IEEE 802.11x connections to IEEE 802.11x access points connectedto the network 26). Further, various networking protocols may be usedsuch as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP), Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP), and File TransferProtocol (FTP).

As illustrated, the check-in server 12 is a server computer. However,one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the check-inserver 12 may be implemented as multiple server computers operating in adistributed manner for purposes of load sharing and/or redundancy.Notably, the check-in server 12 is one type of advertisement server thatmay enable users to create photo ads according to the presentdisclosure. The check-in server 12 includes a tracking function 28, acheck-in function 30, an ad function 32, a user accounts repository 34,a photo ad template repository 36, and a photo ad repository 38. Thetracking function 28, the check-in function 30, and the ad function 32are preferably implemented in software, but are not limited thereto. Thetracking function 28 generally operates to track geographic locations ofregistered users of the check-in server 12 such as, but not limited to,the users 18 and 24. For example, the user devices 16 and 22 may reporttheir geographic locations, and thus the geographic locations of theusers 18 and 24, to the check-in server 12. Alternatively, the check-inserver 12 may periodically poll the user devices 16 and 22 for thegeographic locations of the users 18 and 24.

As discussed below in detail, the check-in function 30 operates toenable users, such as the users 18 and 24, to perform a simple check-inor a photo check-in. As used herein, a check-in is an announcement by auser that the user is currently located within a particular check-inzone. The check-in zone is preferably a geographic area that correspondsto boundaries of a Point of Interest (POI). As used herein, a POI isuser-defined, system-defined, or either user-defined or system-defineddepending on the particular implementation. In general, a POI is aspecific location that someone may find useful or interesting. Someexemplary POIs are business establishments (e.g., restaurants, bars, gasstations, stores, or the like), sports arenas, schools, buildings,museums, historic landmarks, or the like. As used herein, a simplecheck-in is an announcement that the user is currently located within aparticular check-in zone that is not in the form of a photoadvertisement as described herein. As used herein, a photo check-in isan announcement that the user is currently located within a particularcheck-in zone in the form of a photo advertisement created from acorresponding photo ad template by inserting a filler image of the userand, in some embodiments, filler images of one or more additionalparticipants into photo well(s) in the photo ad template.

As discussed below in detail, the ad function 32 enables users, such asthe users 18 and 24, to create photo advertisements using photo adtemplates stored in the photo ad template repository 36. In thisembodiment, the photo advertisements are utilized as photo check-inspublished by the check-in server 12. In addition or alternatively, thephoto advertisements are provided to the social network server 14 asstatus updates of the corresponding users 18 and 24. Still further, thephoto advertisements are stored in the photo ad repository 38 forsubsequent use. More specifically, the ad function 32 may serveadvertisement requests using the photo advertisements stored in thephoto ad repository 38.

The user accounts repository 34 stores a user account 40 for eachregistered user of the check-in server 12. Here, the registered users ofthe check-in server 12 include, but are not limited to, the users 18 and24. The user account 40 of each registered user includes userpreferences of the registered user, social network credentials of theregistered user, and/or the like. The photo ad template repository 36includes a number of photo ad templates and associated metadata. Eachphoto ad template includes one or more photo wells into which fillerimages are to be inserted to provide photo advertisements. The metadatafor the photo ad templates generally includes information that describesthe photo ad templates. For example, for each of the photo ad templates,the metadata for the photo ad template may include information thatdefines a number of photo wells included in the photo ad template. Inaddition, if the photo wells are face knockouts for persons appearing ina picture included in the photo ad template, the metadata may includemetadata for each face knockout that describes a class of users forwhich the face knockout is suitable. For example, the metadata for aface knockout may include a gender, an age or age range, ethnicity,and/or the like. In addition, in this embodiment, the metadata includesdata that identifies one or more check-in zones, such as the check-inzone 20, to which the photo ad template is applicable. Notably, asdiscussed below, the present disclosure is not limited to generatingphoto advertisements based on check-in zones. As such, in otherembodiments, the metadata may alternatively include data that identifiesone or more geographic locations to which the photo ad template isapplicable, one or more websites to which the photo ad template isapplicable, one or more goods to which the photo ad template isapplicable, one or more services to which the photo ad template isapplicable, and/or the like.

The photo ad repository 38 stores a number of photo advertisements andassociated metadata. The photo advertisements are photo advertisementscreated by the registered users of the check-in server 12 using the adfunction 32. For each photo advertisement, the metadata for the photoadvertisement generally includes data that describes applicability dataand creation information. The applicability data, in this embodiment,describes the check-in zone to which the photo advertisement applies.The data that describes the check-in zone may include, for example, aname or identifier of a corresponding POI or a location of thecorresponding POI. The creation information may include, for example, anidentifier such as a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) of the photo adtemplate from which the photo advertisement was created, a list ofparticipants appearing in the photo advertisement such as a list ofGUIDs of the participants appearing in the photo advertisement, UniformResource Indicators (URIs) for filler images to be inserted into thephoto wells of the corresponding photo ad template to provide the photoadvertisement, a maturity rating of the photo advertisement, and productplacement data for the photo advertisement (e.g., data that identifiesone or more products appearing in the photo advertisement). Stillfurther, the metadata for the photo advertisement may include data thatdefines one or more restrictions placed on the use of the photoadvertisement by the creator of the photo advertisement (i.e., the user18 or 24 that created the photo advertisement). For example, themetadata may include information that defines a class of users to whichthe creator has agreed to allow the photo advertisement to be shown(e.g., only direct friends of the creator in the social networkmaintained by the social network server 14, other users within a defineddegree of separation from the creator in the social network maintainedby the social network server 14, other users located within a definedgeographic distance from the creator, other users in the social networkbased on relationship type (e.g., “friend,” “relative,” or “colleague”),and/or the like). As another example, the metadata may includeuser-defined restrictions of a frequency of use of the photoadvertisement (e.g., used as a sponsored advertisement no more than oncean hour), an ad lifetime, a location restriction, a social distancerestriction with respect to the creator of the photo advertisement,and/or the like.

As illustrated, the social network server 14 is a server computer.However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that thesocial network server 14 may be implemented as multiple server computersoperating in a distributed manner for purposes of load sharing and/orredundancy. The social network server 14 includes a social networkingservice 42 and a user accounts repository 44. Notably, while thecheck-in server 12 and the social network server 14 are separate in theillustrated embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.In an alternative embodiment, the functionality of the check-in server12 and the social network server 14 may be combined. For example, thefunctionality of the check-in server 12, and particularly the adfunction 32, may alternatively be incorporated into the socialnetworking service 42.

The social networking service 42 is preferably implemented in software,but is not limited thereto. The social networking service 42 generallyincludes a status update function 46 and a sponsored ad function 48. Thestatus update function 46 enables registered users of the social networkserver 14, such as the users 18 and 24, to post status updates, whichare viewable by friends of the registered users in a social networkmaintained by the social networking service 42. As used herein, a statusupdate is a message provided by a user for publication via a statusupdate, or micro-blogging, service such as, for example, the Twitter®micro-blogging and social networking service or the Facebook® socialnetworking service. The status update may include a text-based statusupdate, an audio status update, a video status update, an image statusupdate, or any combination thereof. As an example, a status update maybe a tweet provided by a user of the Twitter® micro-blogging and socialnetworking service or a post made by a user of the Facebook® socialnetworking service, which are two exemplary status update services.Further, as described herein, status updates may also be photoadvertisements created by the users 18 and 24 via the ad function 32that are submitted as status updates of the users 18 and 24 that createdthe photo advertisements. For example, a photo advertisement created bythe user 18-1 may be submitted to the status update function 46 as astatus update of the user 18-1. The status update function 46 thenpublishes the photo advertisement as a status update of the user 18-1.The sponsored ad function 48 operates to obtain photo advertisementsfrom the ad function 32 of the check-in server 12 and to present thephoto advertisements to the registered users of the social networkserver 14 as sponsored advertisements. The user accounts repository 44includes a user account 50 for each registered user of the socialnetwork server 14. The user account 50 of each of the registered usersincludes a user profile of the registered user, a social network graphof the registered user, status updates posted by the registered user,and the like.

The user devices 16-1 through 16-N are generally computing devices suchas, for example, smartphones (e.g., Apple® iPhone®), tablet computers(e.g., Apple® iPad®), notebook computers, or similar devices. In thisembodiment, the user devices 16-1 through 16-N are preferably mobileuser devices, but are not limited thereto. The user devices 16-1 through16-N include check-in clients 52-1 through 52-N (generally referred toherein collectively as check-in clients 52 and individually as check-inclient 52) and social network clients 54-1 through 54-N (generallyreferred to herein collectively as social network clients 54 andindividually as social network client 54). The check-in clients 52 andthe social network clients 54 are preferably implemented in software,but are not limited thereto. The check-in clients 52 generally enablethe users 18 to interact with the check-in server 12 to perform simplecheck-ins and photo check-ins as desired. The social network clients 54enable the users 18 to interact with the social network server 14 to,for example, post status updates and to view status updates posted bytheir friends in the social network maintained by the social networkingservice 42.

The user device 22 is generally a computing device such as, for example,a smartphone (e.g., Apple® iPhone®), a tablet computer (e.g., Apple®iPad®), a notebook computer, a personal computer, or a similar device.The user device 22 includes a check-in client 56 and a social networkclient 58 that operate as described above with respect to the check-inclients 52 and social network clients 54 of the user devices 16.Notably, while only one user device 22 outside of the check-in zone 20is illustrated, it should be understood that there may be any number ofuser devices 22 outside of the check-in zone 20 and at least some ofthese other user devices 22 may be located in other check-in zones.

FIG. 2 illustrates a photo ad template 60 according to one exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the photo adtemplate 60 includes a picture 62 including photo wells 64 through 70.In this embodiment, the photo wells 64 through 70 are face knockouts, orknockouts of faces, of corresponding persons that appear in the picture62. The photo ad template 60 also includes a text area 72 in whichuser-defined text may be inserted. Lastly, the photo ad template 60includes an advertisement portion 74. In this example, the photo adtemplate 60 is a photo ad template for the restaurant “Joe's ItalianCafe.” Notably, the photo ad template 60 may have been created by or onbehalf of an owner or operator of “Joe's Italian Cafe” and submitted tothe check-in server 12 for storage in the photo ad template repository36 and subsequent use by users that desire to create photoadvertisements for “Joe's Italian Cafe.” Notably, the metadata for thephoto ad template 60 in this embodiment may include, for example, datathat indicates that there are four photo wells 64 through 70 in thephoto ad template 60. In addition, the metadata for the photo adtemplate 60 may include data that defines locations of the photo wells64 through 70 in the photo ad template 60 and/or dimensions of the photowells 64 through 70 in the photo ad template 60. In addition, themetadata for the photo ad template 60 may include data that defines anideal or required orientation for filler images to be inserted into thephoto wells 64 through 70. Still further, for each of the photo wells 64through 70, the metadata for the photo ad template 60 may include datathat defines a class of users (e.g., gender and age range) for which thephoto well is suitable. For example, the metadata for the photo adtemplate 60 may include data for the photo well 64 that defines women inthe age range of 20 to 35 years old as being suitable for the photo well64. As a result, male participants are not selected for the photo well64. In addition, female participants that are not in the age range of 20to 35 years old are also not selected for the photo well 64. Note thatif a suitable participant is not found for a photo well, a default faceimage may be included to be placed in the photo well rather than leavingit empty, where the default image may be, for example, an original facein the photo ad template 60 (i.e., the default image may be an image ofa face of a corresponding person appearing in the photo ad template 60to provide the face well).

FIG. 3A illustrates a photo ad template 76 according to anotherexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, thephoto ad template 76 includes a photo well 78 and an advertisementportion 80. In this embodiment, the advertisement portion 80 is an adfor a restaurant named “General's Fried Chicken.” A user selected imageis inserted into the photo well 78 to provide a resulting photoadvertisement as illustrated in FIG. 3B. The user selected image may beselected from a local repository of photos stored by the correspondinguser device, selected from a number of photos previously posted by theuser via the social networking service 42, or the like. Note that in thephoto ad template 76 of FIG. 3A, there is only one photo well 78, andthat the filler image for the photo well 78 does not have to be aperson's face, and in fact may be any image. If the photo well 78 is tobe filled with a type of image other than a person's face (e.g., aspecific type of product such as a beverage), then this fact should bestored in the metadata for the photo well 78. In one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the image chosen to fill in the photo well 78 isautomatically chosen from the images stored on the user's device basedon matching the current geographical location with the capture locationof the stored image. Note also that the image may be chosen based onmatching the faces of nearby participants with the faces present in theimages on the user's device.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of the system 10 of FIG. 1 to enableuser creation of a photo advertisement using a photo ad templateaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated,one of the user devices 16 in the check-in zone 20 initiates a photocheck-in process (step 1000). In one embodiment, the check-in client 52of the user device 16 receives user input from the user 18 of the userdevice 16 and initiates the photo check-in process in response to theuser input. For example, the user 18 may launch the check-in client 52and select a photo check-in button. In another embodiment, the check-inclient 52 determines that the user device 16 is within the check-in zone20 and automatically initiates the photo check-in process. For example,the check-in client 52 may obtain a current location of the user device16 from, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver of theuser device 16 and query the check-in server 12 to determine whether theuser device 16, and thus the user 18, is currently located within anycheck-in zone. In response, the check-in server 12 may map the currentlocation of the user device 16 to the check-in zone 20 using a storeddatabase of check-in zones and then notify the check-in client 52 thatthe user device 16 is located in the check-in zone 20. The check-inclient 52 may then automatically initiate the photo check-in process.

Next, the check-in client 52 of the user device 16 obtains a list ofpotential participants (step 1002). The list of potential participantsincludes the user 18 of the user device 16 and, in some embodiments, oneor more additional potential participants identified by the check-inclient 52. In order to identify the one or more additional potentialparticipants, in one embodiment, the check-in client 52 utilizes a localwireless communication interface of the user device 16 to detect atleast some of the other user devices 16 in the check-in zone 20. Thelocal wireless communication interface is preferably a Bluetooth®interface (e.g., a class 2 Bluetooth® interface having a range ofapproximately 10 meters or a class 3 Bluetooth® interface having a rangeof approximately 3 meters), an IEEE 802.11x interface, or similarwireless interface. The users 18 of the other user devices 16 detectedwithin the local wireless communication range of the user device 16 or aselect subset thereof are identified as the one or more additionalpotential participants. Additional criteria may be used to further limitthe additional potential participants. The additional criteria may be,for example, degree of separation from the user 18 in the social networkmaintained by the social network server 14, inclusion in a contact listmaintained by the user device 16 of the user 18, and user preferences ofthe user 18 of the user device 16. The user preferences of the user 18may include, for example, preferences that define users that can orcannot be used as participants in photo advertisements created by theuser 18. For example, the one or more additional potential participantsmay be the users 18 of the user devices 16 detected within the localwireless communication range of the user device 16 that are also withina defined degree of separation from the user 18 of the user device 16 inthe social network maintained by the social networking service 42.

In another embodiment, the check-in client 52 utilizes the localwireless communication interface of the user device 16 to query nearbyusers, such as at least some of the other users 18 in the check-in zone20, to determine whether they would be willing to participate in a photoadvertisement. For example, the check-in client 52 may broadcast a queryvia a Bluetooth® interface of the user device 16. The other user devices16 that are within the range of the Bluetooth® interface of the userdevice 16 receive the query and, if the corresponding users 18 arewilling to participate, respond to the query. The responses may begenerated automatically based on predefined preferences of the users 18or generated upon receiving user input from the users 18 that indicatethat the users 18 are willing to participate. The responses to the querypreferably identify the other users 18 that are willing to participate.In another embodiment, the check-in client 52 utilizes a Near FieldCommunication (NFC) interface of the user device 16 to detect the otheruser devices 16 of nearby users 18.

In yet another embodiment, the check-in client 52 queries the socialnetwork server 14 to obtain a list of other users such as the otherusers 18 and 24 that are within a predefined degree of separation fromthe user 18 of the user device 16 within the social network maintainedby the social networking service 42 and, in some embodiments, arelocated near the user 18 of the user device 16. Other users may bedetermined to be located near the user 18 if they are sufficiently nearthe user 18 as defined by one or more system-defined or user-definedcriteria. For example, the other users may be determined to be near theuser 18 if they are located at the same geographic location as the user18 or located within a predefined distance from the user 18.

In yet another embodiment, the user 18 manually selects the one or moreadditional potential participants. More specifically, the user 18 maymanually select the one or more additional potential participants from acontact list stored on the user device 16. As another example, the user18 may manually select the one or more additional potential participantsfrom a list of friends of the user 18 in the social network maintainedby the social networking service 42.

After obtaining the list of additional potential participants, thecheck-in client 52 sends a photo ad template request to the check-inserver 12 (step 1004). The photo ad template request preferablyidentifies the check-in zone 20 in which the user 18 is located andincludes potential participant information. The potential participantinformation is data that describes the potential participants. Thepotential participant information may include one or more of thefollowing:

-   -   the number of potential participants,    -   the gender of each of the potential participants,    -   age information for the potential participants (e.g., the age or        an age range for each of the potential participants),    -   user profile information (e.g., demographic information,        interests, purchase history, web browsing history, music        playback history, video playback history, and/or the like) that        describes the potential participants, and    -   identifiers (IDs) of the potential participants used by the        check-in server 12, which may be used to:        -   obtain user profile information that describes the potential            participants from the user accounts 40 of the potential            participants stored in the user accounts repository 34 of            the check-in server 12, or        -   obtain user profile information that describes the potential            participants from the social network server 14 using            credentials (e.g., usernames and passwords) of the potential            participants for the social network server 14 stored in the            user accounts 40 of the potential participants in the user            accounts repository 34 of the check-in server 12.            Notably, in the preferred embodiment, the user 18 is            required to participate in the photo advertisement. As such,            when selecting the photo ad template(s), the data describing            the user 18 may be given priority over the data describing            the other potential participants.

In response to the photo ad template request, the ad function 32 of thecheck-in server 12 selects one or more of the photo ad templates storedin the photo ad template repository 36 that satisfy the photo adtemplate request (step 1006). More specifically, in one embodiment, thead function 32 queries the photo ad template repository 36 for photo adtemplates that are applicable to the check-in zone 20. The ad function32 then selects one or more of the applicable photo ad templates thatbest match the potential participants based on the potential participantinformation. More specifically, in one embodiment, the ad function 32selects those applicable photo ad templates having photo wells for whichthere are suitable potential participants. For example, if the potentialparticipants include two males and two females, then the ad function 32may select only those photo ad templates that are applicable to thecheck-in zone 20 and that have two or less photo wells for males and twoor less photo wells for females. In addition, when selecting the one ormore photo ad templates, the ad function 32 may also consider apotential audience of a resulting photo ad. For example, if the photo adis likely to be viewed by friends in the social network of the user 18,then the ad function 32 may also consider preferences of the friends ofthe user 18, purchase histories of the friends of the user 18, and/orthe like. The ad function 32 then returns the one or more photo adtemplates selected in response to the photo ad template request to theuser device 16 (step 1008).

The check-in client 52 then operates to generate a photo advertisementusing one of the one or more photo ad templates returned by the check-inserver 12 (step 1010). More specifically, in one embodiment, fillerimages are selected for the one or more photo wells in one of the photoad templates. The filler image of the user 18 is selected for one of thephoto wells in the photo ad template. Note that if a filler image is notprovided by the user 18, one may be automatically selected and extractedfrom the user's 18 existing photos using image processing methods, suchas, for example, face detection. In one embodiment, the metadata for thephoto ad template identifies one of the photo wells as a primary photowell, and the filler image of the user 18 is automatically selected forthe primary photo well. In addition, if the photo ad template includesmore than one photo well, a different one of the additional potentialparticipants is selected for each of the remaining photo wells. Inanother embodiment, multiple filler images may be selected for eachphoto well in one of the photo ad templates to thereby provide a photoadvertisement. In this manner, different filler images may be insertedinto the photo ad template depending on the intended recipient of thephoto advertisement. This may be particularly beneficial when using thephoto advertisements as sponsored advertisements as described below.Still further, the photo ad template may include a product placementfeature, where the user 18 is enabled to select a product to be placedinto the photo advertisement as a secondary advertisement. For instance,the photo ad template may have a space for a beverage, where the user 18is enabled to select the particular beverage (e.g., a soda can of aparticular soft drink) to appear in the photo advertisement. As anotherexample, the item for the product placement feature may be automaticallyselected or recommended based on, for example, a purchase history of theuser 18. In yet another embodiment, the user 18 may actually bepresenting the product of interest in the filler image, such as byholding a soda can prominently, and the product placement feature may beautomatically identified using image-processing methods such as logodetection.

The check-in client 52 then sends the photo advertisement to thecheck-in server 12 (step 1012). More specifically, the check-in client52 sends photo advertisement data to the check-in server 12. In oneembodiment, the photo advertisement data is the actual photoadvertisement. In another embodiment, the photo advertisement data isdata that defines the photo advertisement such that the photoadvertisement can subsequently be produced by the ad function 32 and/oran ad requestor (e.g., the social networking service 42). In oneembodiment, the data that defines the photo advertisement includes: (a)information that identifies the photo ad template (e.g., a unique ID ofthe photo ad template), (b) information that identifies the fillerimage(s) of the participants selected for the photo advertisement (e.g.,URIs), and (c) information that links the filler images to theappropriate photo wells in the photo ad template. In another embodiment,the data that defines the photo advertisement includes: (a) informationthat identifies the photo ad template (e.g., a unique ID of the photo adtemplate), (b) the filler image(s) of the participants selected for thephoto advertisement, and (c) information that links the filler images tothe appropriate photo wells in the photo ad template. Notably, the datathat defines the photo advertisement may be provided in, for example, anExtensible Markup Language (XML) format.

The ad function 32 of the check-in server 12 stores the photoadvertisement as one of the photo advertisements in the photo adrepository 38 (step 1014). Preferably, the ad function 32 also storesthe metadata for the photo advertisement. Notably, once stored in thephoto ad repository 38, the photo advertisement may have asystem-defined or user-defined ad lifetime. The ad lifetime defines anamount of time after which the photo advertisement is removed from thephoto ad repository 38 or otherwise disabled. The ad lifetime may bedefined as an absolute amount of time (e.g., 1 week), a number of adimpressions (e.g., provided in response to 10 ad requests, presented to25 ad targets, or the like), or the like. It should also be noted that,as discussed below, the stored photo ad can subsequently be used toserve photo ad requests. However, before being used to serve photo adrequests, the photo ad may be manually or automatically reviewed toensure that the photo ad is suitable for use as a photo ad. Automatedmethods include image processing methods, such as detecting obscenities,logo detection to ensure any rival products are not being depicted, facedetection to ensure that a face is in the image, and face identificationto ensure that the face belonging to the user 18 is in the photo ad.

The ad function 32 of the check-in server 12 also publishes the photoadvertisement as a photo check-in of the user 18 (step 1016) and sendsthe photo advertisement to the social network server 14 as a statusupdate for the user 18 (step 1018). In response, the status updatefunction 46 of the social networking service 42 posts the photoadvertisement as a status update of the user 18 (step 1020). The mannerin which the photo advertisement is posted as a status update of theuser 18 depends on the particular implementation of the socialnetworking service 42. For example, in one embodiment, the socialnetworking service 42 is, or is similar to, the Facebook® socialnetworking service, and the photo check-in is posted to the Facebook®wall of the user 18. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto. Further, when posting the status update, a text that identifiesthe participants in the photo advertisement may accompany the photoadvertisement in the status update. In addition or alternatively, thefiller images of the participants in the photo advertisement may beuser-selectable such that other users can select the filler image of adesired participant to view additional information related to thatparticipant (e.g., status updates from that participant, other photoadvertisements in which that participant has participated, and/or thelike).

Lastly, the ad function 32 of the check-in server 12 provides a benefitto the participants appearing in the photo advertisement in return forparticipating in the photo advertisement (step 1022). The benefit ispreferably in the form of a coupon, but is not limited thereto. Thebenefit may be returned to the participants by sending a coupon to thecheck-in clients 52 of the participants. Alternatively, the benefit maybe returned to the participants in some other manner (e.g., textmessage, e-mail, or the like). Note also that the value of any coupon orother consideration may scale based on the number of times a photoadvertisement is used.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the photo advertisement creation process inmore detail according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Inthis discussion, the process of FIGS. 5A and 5B is performed by thecheck-in client 52. However, it should be appreciated that this processor portions of this process may alternatively be performed by the adfunction 32. Further, in this embodiment, the photo ad templates includepreselected pictures having photo wells that are knockouts of faces ofpersons appearing in the picture as described above with respect to FIG.2.

First, the check-in client 52 obtains a list of potential participantsas described above with respect to step 1002 of FIG. 4 (step 2000). Thecheck-in client 52 then obtains one or more photo ad templates from thecheck-in server 12 based on the check-in location, which in thisembodiment is the check-in zone 20, and potential participantinformation that describes the potential participants identified in step2000 (step 2002). More specifically, in this embodiment, the check-inclient 52 sends a photo ad template request to the check-in server 12and, in response, receives the one or more photo ad templates from thead function 32 of the check-in server 12, as described above withrespect to steps 1004 through 1008 of FIG. 4.

Next, in this embodiment, the check-in client 52 computes a fit scorefor each potential participant for each knockout in each of the one ormore photo ad templates obtained in step 2002 (step 2004). In otherwords, a fit score is computed for each potential participant andknockout pair. Notably, in one embodiment, the user 18 may be requiredto be the participant for a primary knockout in each of the photo adtemplates. In this case, fit scores may only be generated for eachadditional potential participant for each knockout in each of the one ormore photo ad templates other than the primary knockouts to which theuser 18 is required to be assigned. However, in another embodiment,while the user 18 is still preferably required to participate in thephoto advertisement, the user 18 may not be required to be assigned toany one knockout in each of the photo ad templates. In this case, fitsscores may be computed for all potential participants including the user18 for each knockout in each of the one or more photo ad templates.

For each potential participant and knockout combination for which a fitscore is to be computed, the fit score reflects a degree to which thepotential participant matches the knockout. More specifically, in oneembodiment, the fit score is computed based on one or more predefinedcriteria such as, for example:

-   -   a degree to which the potential participant is suitable for the        knockout, which may specifically be a degree to which the user        profile of the potential participant matches the portion of the        metadata for the corresponding photo ad template that defines a        class of users that are suitable for the knockout,    -   a degree to which the potential participant is suitable for the        photo ad template in general, which may specifically be a degree        to which the user profile of the potential participant (e.g.,        demographics, purchase history, music listening history, viewing        history, web browsing history, location history, interests, or        the like) matches a portion of the metadata for the        corresponding photo ad template that defines a class of users        that are suitable for the photo ad template in general,    -   whether the potential participant has provided a filler image        for use in photo advertisements (note that this may        alternatively be a pre-requisite for being identified as a        potential participant),    -   a geographic distance between the user 18 creating the photo        advertisement and the potential participant,    -   a social distance (i.e., a degree of separation) between the        user 18 and the potential participant in the social network        maintained by the social networking service 42,    -   a geographic distance between the potential participant and the        POI being advertised, and    -   a social distance between the potential participant and the POI        being advertised in the social network maintained by the social        networking service 42.        A high fit score indicates a strong match between the        corresponding potential participant and knockout pair.        Conversely, a low fit score indicates a weak match between the        corresponding potential participant and knockout pair.

Next, the check-in client 52 removes, or prunes, any of the potentialparticipants that have no fit score that is greater than a predefinedminimum threshold value (step 2006). In this manner, any of thepotential participants that do not sufficiently match any of theknockouts in any of the photo ad templates obtained in step 2002 areremoved from the list of potential participants. For example, if one ofthe potential participants is a 13 year old female but the photo adtemplates only have photo wells for 20+ year old males and females, thenthe 13 year old female is to be removed as a potential participant.Notably, some filtering may be performed before calculating fit scores(e.g., when identifying potential participants), where this filteringmay ensure that persons that would not match any of the knockouts wouldnot be identified as potential participants. In this embodiment, thepotential participants are then ranked for each knockout in each of thephoto ad templates based on the corresponding fit scores (step 2008),and the user 18 of the user device 16 is enabled to remove any undesiredphoto ad templates and/or any undesired potential participants (step2010). Notably, if the user 18 removes one of the photo ad templates,any of potential participants that no longer have at least one fit scorethat is greater than the predefined minimum threshold value in step 2006may be removed.

Next, in this embodiment, preferred participants for each knockout ineach of the photo ad templates are selected (step 2012). Morespecifically, in the preferred embodiment, the user 18 is required toparticipate in the photo advertisement. For example, the user 18 may berequired to be the participant for a primary knockout in each of thephoto ad templates. As another example, the user 18 may be required toparticipate but may be enabled to choose which knockout he or shedesires. As such, once one of the knockouts in each photo ad template isallocated for the user 18, preferred participants are selected for theremaining knockouts in the photo ad templates.

In one embodiment, the preferred participants for the remainingknockouts in each photo ad template are manually selected by the user18. In this case, the fit scores and/or rankings of the potentialparticipants may be presented to the user 18 or otherwise utilized toassist the user 18 in selecting the preferred participants for theknockouts. For example, for each remaining knockout in each of the photoad templates, the user 18 may be presented with a list of potentialparticipants for the knockout that is sorted based on rank, and the user18 may select the preferred participant for the knockout from the sortedlist of potential participants for the knockout.

In another embodiment, the preferred participants for the remainingknockouts in each photo ad template are automatically selected by thecheck-in client 52. More specifically, for each photo ad template, thecheck-in client 52 may first select the potential participant having thehighest fit score across all of the remaining knockouts for the photo adtemplate as the preferred participant for the knockout for which thatpotential participant has the highest fit score. That potentialparticipant is then removed from the pool of available participants forthe remaining knockouts and the process is repeated until the “best”potential participants for the knockouts in the photo ad template havebeen selected as the preferred participants. This process is repeated toselect the preferred participants for any remaining photo ad templates.

In yet another embodiment, for each photo ad template, the user 18 isfirst selected as the preferred participant for the knockout in thephoto ad template for which the user 18 has his or her highest fit scoreor ranking. Then, the user 18 is removed from the pool of potentialparticipants for the remaining knockouts in the photo ad template, andthe potential participant having the highest fit score across all of theremaining knockouts in the photo ad template is selected as thepreferred participant for the knockout for which that potentialparticipant has the highest fit score. That potential participant isthen removed from the pool of available participants for the remainingknockouts and the process is repeated until the “best” potentialparticipants for the knockouts in the photo ad template have beenselected as the preferred participants. This process is repeated toselect the preferred participants for any remaining photo ad templates.

In each of the three aforementioned embodiments for selecting thepreferred participants for the knockouts, in some situations, theselection of a potential participant as the preferred participant for afirst knockout may result in there being no potential participantsremaining for a second knockout. In this case, if there are remainingpotential participants for the first knockout, then the potentialparticipant may be changed from the preferred participant for the firstknockout to a preferred participant for the second knockout. One of theremaining potential participants may then be selected as the preferredparticipant for the first knockout. Alternatively, the same potentialparticipant may be selected as the preferred participant for the firstand second knockouts. In addition, the user 18 may be enabled to edit ormodify the preferred participants for the knockouts.

The check-in client 52 then obtains filler images of the potentialparticipants (step 2014). In one embodiment, the check-in client 52obtains the filler images of all of the potential participants includingthe preferred participants. In another embodiment, the check-in client52 obtains the filler images of only the preferred participants.Preferably, the registered users of the check-in server 12 predefineimages to be used in photo advertisements. These predefined images arereferred to herein as default filler images of the registered users andmay be stored by the corresponding user devices 16 or 22, the check-inserver 12, or the social network server 14. Thus, the filler images ofthe potential participants obtained in step 2014 are preferably thedefault filler images of the potential participants obtained from thecorresponding user devices 16 or 22, the check-in server 12, or thesocial network server 14. In another embodiment, the filler images maybe captured on-demand during the photo ad creation process, for example,by using the in-built cameras of the user devices 16 or 22.

The check-in client 52 then requests permission from the potentialparticipants (step 2016). In one embodiment, the check-in client 52requests permission from all of the potential participants including thepreferred participants. In another embodiment, the check-in client 52requests permission from only the preferred participants. Morespecifically, the potential participants include the user 18 of the userdevice 16 and one or more additional potential participants. Permissionfrom the user 18 of the user device 16 may be implied since the user 18initiated the photo check-in process. Permission from the one or moreadditional potential participants may be obtained by sendingcorresponding permission requests to the check-in clients 52 or 56 ofthe corresponding user devices 16 or 22 either directly or via the adfunction 32 of the check-in server 12. In one embodiment, the permissionrequest sent to a particular user includes the one or more photo adtemplates and information that identifies one or more of the knockoutsinto which the filler image of the potential participant may beinserted. More specifically, in one embodiment, permission is requestedonly from the preferred participants, and the permission request sent toa particular user includes the photo ad template(s) for which the userhas been selected as a preferred participant. Further, for each photo adtemplate for which the user has been selected as a preferredparticipant, the photo ad template included in the permission requestmay include the filler image of the user inserted into the knockout forwhich the user has been selected as the preferred participant.

The check-in client 52 then processes responses to the requests forpermission sent to the potential participants (step 2018). Each responseindicates whether a corresponding potential participant has grantedpermission to be used as a participant, denied permission to be used asa participant, or requested that a different filler image of thepotential participant be used. Notably, in one embodiment, a time-outperiod is defined where any potential participant for which responseshave not been received by the end of the time-out period are deemed tohave denied permission to be used as a participant.

In one embodiment, the potential participants manually choose whether togrant permission to be used as a participant. In another embodiment, thepotential participants may choose to configure rules for automaticallygranting or denying permission to be used as a participant. These rulesmay be based on social network relationship, ad rating, advertisedplace, product, service, and/or the like. Note that, in an alternativeembodiment, these automatic acceptance or denial rules may be taken intoconsideration when selecting potential participants and/or selecting thepreferred participants for the knockouts in the photo ad template.

After all responses have been received or after the time-out period hasexpired, the check-in client 52 determines whether there are anycompleted photo advertisements (step 2020). In the embodiment where thefiller images are obtained and permission requested for only thepreferred participants, a completed photo advertisement is one resultingwhen all of the preferred participants for all of the knockouts in oneof the photo ad templates have granted permission to be used asparticipants in the photo advertisement. Note that if there is more thanone photo ad template, then there may be more than one completed photoadvertisement. In the embodiment where filler images are obtained andpermission requested for all of the potential participants, a completedphoto advertisement is one resulting when at least one differentpotential participant has granted permission to be used as a participantfor each knockout in one of the photo ad templates. Again, note that ifthere is more than one photo ad template, then there may be more thanone completed photo advertisement.

If there are no completed photo advertisements, then the check-in client52 adjusts parameters used to obtain the list of potential participantsin step 2000 in such a manner as to result in a larger list of potentialparticipants or a list of all new potential participants (except ofcourse the user 18) (step 2022). The process then returns to step 2000and is repeated. If there is at least one completed advertisement, oneor more of the completed photo advertisements are selected and submittedto the ad function 32 of the check-in server 12 (step 2024). Morespecifically, in the embodiment where the filler images are obtained andpermission is requested from only the preferred participants, once allof the preferred participants for one photo ad template have grantedpermission to be used as participants, the filler images of thepreferred participants are inserted into or otherwise associated withthe corresponding knockouts of the photo ad template to complete thephoto advertisement. If there is more than one photo ad template forwhich all of the preferred participants grant permission to be used asparticipants in the photo advertisement, then there are multiplecompleted photo advertisements. In this embodiment, the user 18 thenselects one or more of the completed photo advertisements to besubmitted to the ad function 32 of the check-in server 12. If the user18 selects more than one completed photo advertisement, the user 18 mayalso select one of the completed photo advertisements to be used as aphoto check-in and/or status update of the user 18. After step 2024, theprocess ends.

In the embodiment where the filler images are obtained and permission isrequested from all of the potential participants, a photo advertisementis complete once at least one different potential participant hasgranted permission to be used for each knockout in the correspondingphoto ad template. If more than one potential participant grantspermission to be used in the same knockout, then the preferredparticipant for the knockout is selected for the knockout if thepreferred participant is one of the potential participants that hasgranted permission to be used in the knockout. Otherwise, the highestranked or scored potential participant that has granted permission to beused in the knockout and that has not already been selected for one ofthe other knockouts in the photo ad template is selected for theknockout. Once a participant has been selected for each knockout in thephoto ad template, then the filler images for those participants areinserted into or otherwise associated with the corresponding knockoutsin the photo ad template to provide the completed photo advertisement.Alternatively, the user 18 may manually select the participants for eachknockout from the potential participants that have granted permission tobe used in the knockout. As another alternative, the photo advertisementmay be submitted with one or more participants for each knockout, wherea participant for each knockout is subsequently selected based on, forexample, an intended recipient of the photo advertisement.

FIGS. 6A through 6E illustrate an exemplary Graphical User Interface(GUI) 82 provided by the check-in client 52 to enable the user 18 tocreate a photo advertisement and submit the photo advertisement as aphoto check-in of the user 18 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the GUI 82 includes a main screen84 that includes a simple check-in button 86, a photo check-in button88, a coupons button 90, a promotions button 92, and a preferencesbutton 94. The main screen 84 is presented to the user 18 eitherautomatically or upon request and generally enables the user 18 toinitiate either a simple check-in or a photo check-in for the check-inzone 20 in which the user 18 is located. In this example, the check-inzone 20 is a geographic area corresponding to a restaurant called “Joe'sItalian Cafe.”

If the user 18 selects the simple check-in button 86, the check-inclient 52 operates to create a simple check-in based on user input fromthe user 18 and submit the simple check-in to the check-in server 12. Ifthe user 18 selects the photo check-in button 88, the photo check-inprocess described above is initiated. If the user 18 selects the couponsbutton 90, the user 18 is enabled to view coupons that the user 18 hasreceived in return for participating in photo advertisements. Notably,coupons may be earned when the photo advertisements are submitted and/orwhen the photo advertisements are used. If the user 18 selects thepromotions button 92, the user 18 is enabled to view special promotionssuch as, for example, a promotion being run by a business establishmentcorresponding to the check-in zone 20 saying that a particular benefitwill be given to the user 18 (e.g., a coupon) in response to creating aphoto advertisement for the business establishment. Lastly, if the user18 selects the preferences button 94, the user 18 is enabled toconfigure preferences related to the creation and use of photoadvertisements.

More specifically, FIG. 6B illustrates a photo check-in screen 96 thatis presented to the user 18 in response to selecting the photo check-inbutton 88 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thephoto check-in screen 96 includes a photo ad template display area 98,navigation buttons 100 and 102 for navigating through multiple photo adtemplates, a solicit participants button 104, a confirm participantsbutton 106, a submit button 108, and a cancel button 110. During thephoto ad check-in process, the user 18 may first select the solicitparticipants button 104. In response, the check-in client 52 obtains alist of potential participants and sends a photo ad template request tothe check-in server 12, as described above. The one or more photo adtemplates returned to the check-in client 52 are displayed in the photoad template display area 98. If more than one photo ad template isreturned, the user 18 may use the navigation buttons 100 and 102 tonavigate through the photo ad templates. The user 18 may select aknockout in the photo ad template displayed in the photo ad templatedisplay area 98 to, for example, view a ranked list of potentialparticipants for that knockout, remove potential participants from theranked list of potential participants for that knockout, and/or select apreferred participant for that knockout. The photo ad templateillustrated in FIG. 6B has a text area which may be selected by the user18 to enter desired text to appear in the text area. Then, the user 18selects the confirm participants button 106. In response, the check-inclient 52 requests permission from the potential participants or atleast the preferred potential participants for the photo ad template(s).Once one or more of the photo advertisements have been completed and, insome embodiments, one or more desired completed photo advertisementshave been selected, the user 18 selects the submit button 108 in orderfor the completed photo advertisement(s) to be submitted to the check-inserver 12. Lastly, the user 18 may select the cancel button 110 at anytime to cancel the photo ad check-in process.

FIG. 6C illustrates a coupon screen 112 that is presented to the user 18in response to selecting the coupons button 90 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the user 18 hasearned three coupons 114 through 118. FIG. 6D illustrates a promotionsscreen 120 that is presented to the user 18 in response to selecting thepromotions button 92 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In this example, one promotion 122 is being offered to theuser 18.

FIG. 6E illustrates a preferences screen 124 that is presented to theuser 18 in response to selecting the preferences button 94 according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, thepreferences screen 124 includes a Facebook® Connect button 126 and anumber of buttons 128 through 138 for selecting various preferences. TheFacebook® Connect button 126 enables the user 18 to provide credentials(e.g., username and password) that enable the check-in client 52 and/orthe check-in server 12 to access a social graph of the user 18 from thesocial networking service 42 and/or to obtain user profile informationfor the user 18 from the social networking service 42. The social graphof the user 18 identifies friends and, in some embodiments, friends offriends of the user 18 up to a defined maximum degree of separation(e.g., 3 degrees of separation) in the social network maintained by thesocial networking service 42. The button 128 enables the user 18 toselect a preferred, or default, filler image of the user 18 to be usedin photo advertisements created by the user 18 as well as photoadvertisements created by other users in which the user 18 participates.The button 130 enables the user 18 to select classes of users to whichphoto advertisements created by the user 18 can be shown. Some exemplaryclasses of users are friends of the user 18 in the social networkmaintained by the social networking service 42, other users within adefined degree of separation from the user 18 in the social networkmaintained by the social networking service 42, other users within adefined geographic distance from the user 18, or the like. While notillustrated, the preferences screen 124 may enable the user 18 to defineadditional or alternative user preferences such as, for example, an adlifetime for the photo advertisement (e.g., a total number of adimpressions, an absolute amount of time, or the like), a maximumfrequency of use of the photo advertisement, one or more websites onwhich the photo advertisement can or cannot be used, and/or the like.Note that these user preferences may be ad specific preferences, generalpreferences that are applicable to all photo advertisements created bythe user 18, or a combination thereof.

The button 132 enables the user 18 to define what users can beidentified as potential participants for photo advertisements created bythe user 18. For example, the user 18 may indicate that friends of theuser 18 in the social network maintained by the social networkingservice 42 can be used as potential participants for photoadvertisements created by the user 18, other users within a defineddegree of separation from the user 18 in the social network maintainedby the social networking service 42 can be used as potentialparticipants for photo advertisements created by the user 18, otherusers within a defined geographic distance from the user 18 can be usedas potential participants for photo advertisements created by the user18, and/or the like.

The button 134 enables the user 18 to define types of POIs or specificPOIs at which the user 18 is to be prompted for check-in. The button 136enables the user 18 to define types of POIs or specific POIs at whichthe check-in client 52 is to automatically initiate a photo check-in.Lastly, the button 138 enables the user 18 to define a maximum maturityrating for photo advertisements created by the user 18 or in which theuser 18 is willing to participate. The maximum maturity rating may beused to select photo ad templates for photo advertisements created bythe user 18. In addition, the maximum maturity rating may be used toautomatically determine whether to automatically participate in photoadvertisements being created by other users.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary GUI 140 that is presented to one of thepotential participants selected for the photo advertisement beingcreated via the GUI 82 of FIGS. 6A and 6B via the corresponding check-inclient 52 or 56 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.As illustrated, the GUI 140 includes a photo ad template display area142, an accept button 144, a cancel button 146, and a select new imagebutton 148. In this example, the filler image of the potentialparticipant is inserted into a knockout 150 of the photo ad template.The potential participant can grant permission to be used as aparticipant in the knockout 150 of the photo ad template by selectingthe accept button 144 or deny permission to be used as a participant inthe knockout 150 of the photo ad template by selecting the cancel button146. Alternatively, the potential participant may select a new fillerimage to be used for the potential participant by selecting the selectnew image button 148. Selecting a new filler image may also operate agrant of permission to be used as a participant for the knockout 150 ofthe photo ad template but only if the new filler image is used. Notably,the GUI 140 may provide additional or alternative features such as, forexample, enabling the potential participant to select a differentknockout in which the potential participant desires to be used.

FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of the ad function 32 of the check-inserver 12 to serve ad requests according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As discussed above, the photo ad repository 38 ofthe check-in server 12 stores photo advertisements created by registeredusers of the check-in server 12. In general, the ad function 32 utilizesthe photo advertisements stored in the photo ad repository 38 to servead requests from entities such as, for example, the social networkingservice 42. More specifically, the user 24 of the user device 22 logsinto the social networking service 42 hosted by the social networkserver 14 (step 3000). In response to the login or sometime while theuser 24 is logged into the social networking service 42, the sponsoredad function 48 of the social networking service 42 hosted by the socialnetwork server 14 sends an ad request to the check-in server 12 (step3002). Notably, while in this embodiment the social network server 14requests advertisements, in an alternative embodiment, advertisementsmay be pushed to the social network server 14. The ad request includestarget usage information. The target usage information generallyincludes information that describes a manner in which any photoadvertisements returned in response to the request is to be used,information that describes a target of any photo advertisements returnedin response to the request (i.e., the intended recipient), or both. Morespecifically, the target usage information may include one or more ofthe following: ad network type (e.g., television, cable, closed circuit,Internet, or the like), requestor information (e.g., website name,television station, or the like), and ID of the intended recipient(e.g., social network ID of the intended recipient). In this embodiment,since the social network server 14 is the requestor and the user 24 ofthe user device 22 is the intended recipient, the target usageinformation preferably includes an ID of the user 24 used for the socialnetworking service 42. Using the ID of the user 24, the ad function 32of the check-in server 12 is enabled to obtain information regarding theuser 24 from the social networking service 42 such as, for example, thesocial graph of the user 24 and user profile information describing theuser 24 (e.g., demographic information, interests, and/or the like).

In response to receiving the ad request, the ad function 32 of thecheck-in server 12 selects one or more photo advertisements from thephoto ad repository 38 that satisfy the ad request (step 3004). Morespecifically, in this embodiment, for each photo advertisement, themetadata for the photo advertisement includes data that describes acheck-in zone (e.g., a POI) to which the photo advertisement applies andcreation information. In addition, metadata for each photo advertisementmay define a class of users to which the photo advertisement may beshown, as defined by the creator of the photo advertisement. Using thetarget usage information in the ad request and the metadata for thephoto advertisements, the ad function 32 is enabled to select one ormore photo advertisements for the intended recipient. As an example, theone or more selected advertisements may include one or more photoadvertisements created by a friend of the target user in the socialnetwork, one or more photo advertisements having at least oneparticipant that is a friend of the target user in the social network,one or more photo advertisements having at least one participant that iswithin a defined degree of separation from the target user in the socialnetwork, and/or the like. In addition to social distance between theparticipants and the target user, the ad function 32 may consider othercriteria when selecting the one or more photo advertisements such as,for example, geographic distance between the participants in the photoadvertisement and the target user and a user profile of the target user(e.g., biographic information, demographic information, purchasehistory, web browsing history, and/or the like). Notably, informationsuch as the social graph of the target user and the user profile of thetarget user, if obtained, may be cached by the ad function 32 forsubsequent use.

In addition to selecting the one or more photo advertisements based onthe metadata for the one or more photo advertisements and the targetusage information, the ad function 32 may perform the selection furtherbased on user preferences of the creators of the one or more photoadvertisements, system-defined rules, advertiser-based restrictions, ora combination thereof. The user preferences of the creators may, forexample, place restrictions on the usage of their photo advertisements.The restrictions may restrict the class of users to which the photoadvertisements can be presented, a frequency of use of the photoadvertisements, ad lifetimes for the photo advertisements, and/or thelike. The system-defined rules may include, for example, ad lifetimesfor the photo advertisements, restrictions on the frequency of use,and/or the like. Lastly, the advertiser-based restrictions may placerestrictions on to whom the photo advertisements are presented based oncriteria defined by the advertisers by whom or for whom thecorresponding photo ad templates were created. For example, theadvertiser-based restrictions may be based on social network distancefrom the advertiser in the social network, geographic distance from anadvertised POI, and/or the like.

The ad function 32 of the check-in server 12 then returns the one ormore photo advertisements selected in step 3004 to the social networkserver 14 (step 3006). In response, the social networking service 42 ofthe social network server 14 sends social network content and the one ormore photo advertisements to the user device 22 (step 3008). In thisembodiment, the social network content and the one or more photoadvertisements are sent to the user device 22 in the form of a webpage.However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Notably, in oneembodiment, where multiple participants may be identified for each photowell in the photo ad template, either the ad function 32 or the socialnetworking service 42 performs the final selection of a singleparticipant for each photo well based on, for example, social distancefrom the target user. For a photo well having multiple participants, theparticipant having the closest relationship to the target user in thesocial network may be selected. In addition or alternatively, a userprofile matching technique may be used such that the participant havinga user profile that most closely matches that of the target user isselected for the photo well when rendering the photo advertisement tothe target user.

The social network client 58 of the user device 22 then presents thesocial network content and the one or more photo advertisements to theuser 24 (step 3010). Lastly, the ad function 32 of the check-in server12 provides a coupon or other benefit to the creator(s) and otherparticipants in the one or more photo advertisements (step 3012).Notably, this benefit may be conferred when the one or more photoadvertisements are returned to the social network server 14, when theone or more photo advertisements are returned to the user device 22, orwhen the one or more photo advertisements are displayed to the user 24.In addition or alternatively, a benefit may be conferred to thecreator(s) and other participants if the user 24 selects one of thephoto advertisements and/or if one of the photo advertisements resultsin a purchase of the advertised good or service by the user 24.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary webpage 152 presented by the socialnetworking service 42 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In this example, the webpage 152 is a homepage for the user24, whose name is Fred. Further, the user 24 is friends with a usernamed Isabella. Isabella has created a number of photo check-ins 154through 158 using the ad function 32 of the check-in server 12. As aresult, the photo check-ins 154 through 158 are presented to Fred as afriend of Isabella. In addition, a number of sponsored advertisements160 through 166 are also presented to Fred. The sponsored advertisements160 through 166 are photo advertisements obtained from the ad function32 of the check-in server 12 as described above with respect to FIG. 8.

The discussion above has focused primarily on the generation of photoadvertisements with respect to check-ins. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. More specifically, the ad function 32may be incorporated into any type of ad server that desires to enableusers, such as but not limited to the users 18 and 24, to create photoadvertisements that are relevant to the users. These photoadvertisements may then be used to serve ad requests and, in someembodiments, used as status updates for the corresponding users. Forexample, the ad function 32 may be incorporated into an ad server thatenables users to create photo advertisements for websites visited by theusers, websites logged into by the users, goods purchased by the users,services purchased by the users, geographic locations of the users,events attended by the users, listening experiences of the users (e.g.,songs, albums, or music artists listened to by the users), viewingexperiences of the users (e.g., movies, television shows, or othervideos watched by the users), and/or the like. For instance, a photoadvertisement creation process may be triggered manually by a user orautomatically by the ad function 32 upon detecting a triggering event(e.g., navigating to a website, logging into a website, purchasing anitem, purchasing a service, being located at a particular geographiclocation, listening to a song, watching a television show or movie, orthe like). Then, potential participants for a photo advertisement may beobtained. The ad function 32 may then obtain one or more applicablephoto ad templates for the potential participants in a manner similar tothat described above. Filler image(s) of the user and, in someembodiments, the additional participant(s) for the photo ad template arethen matched to photo well(s) in at least one of the one or more adtemplates using any suitable process to thereby provide one or morecompleted photo advertisements. One of the photo advertisements may beposted to the social networking service 42 as a status update of theuser. In addition or alternatively, at least one of the one or morecompleted photo advertisements may be stored for subsequent use inserving ad requests from entities such as, for example, the socialnetworking service 42.

FIGS. 10 through 15 illustrate some exemplary photo ad templates thatmay be used to create photo advertisements according to some additionalembodiments of the present disclosure. More specifically, FIG. 10illustrates a photo ad template 168 that may be used to create photoadvertisements for “Crazy Cola.” For example, the user 18 may create aphoto advertisement for Crazy Cola. The user 18 may manually initiatethe photo ad creation process, or the photo ad creation process may betriggered automatically in response to the user 18 purchasing CrazyCola. In response, a filler image of the user 18 is inserted into aknockout 170 in the photo ad template 168. The resulting photoadvertisement may then be submitted to the social network server 14either directly from the user device 16 of the user 18 or via the adfunction 32 as a status update of the user 18. In addition oralternatively, the ad function 32 may store the photo advertisement forsubsequent use in serving ad requests from entities such as, forexample, the social networking service 42. FIG. 11 illustrates a similarphoto ad template 172 including a knockout 174 that may be used tocreate photo advertisements for “Best Beer.”

FIG. 12 illustrates a photo ad template 176 including a knockout 178that may be used to create a photo advertisement for a music album. Inthis embodiment, the photo advertisement creation process may bemanually initiated by the user. Alternatively, the photo creationprocess may be triggered by a purchase of the music album by the user.As another alternative, the photo ad creation process may be triggeredin response to the user attending a concert of the corresponding musicartist, in response to the user purchasing a ticket to a concert of thecorresponding music artist, in response to the user listening to themusic album utilizing a music player, or the like. As anotheralternative, the photo ad creation process may be triggered in responseto the user listening to a song from the album a threshold number oftimes within a given time window, listening to all songs on the album athreshold number of times within a given time window, or the like. Notethat the threshold value for number of times may be one, and the timewindow may be infinite. In a similar manner, FIG. 13 illustrates a photoad template 180 including a knockout 182 that can be used to createphoto advertisements for a movie called “RELLICK.” In this embodiment,the photo advertisement creation process may be manually initiated bythe user. Alternatively, the photo creation process may be triggered bya purchase of the movie by the user. As another alternative, the photoad creation process may be triggered in response to the user viewing themovie at a movie theater, in response to the user purchasing a ticket tothe movie, or the like. As another alternative, the photo ad creationprocess may be triggered in response to the user watching a video or atelevision show on internet TV. In one embodiment, the photo ad creationprocess is triggered based on the user watching all of the episodes in aseason of a television show.

FIG. 14 illustrates a photo ad template 184 for Crazy Cola according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, thephoto ad template 184 includes a photo well 186 that is a photo well fora picture in general rather than a knockout. FIG. 15 illustrates a photoad template 188 for Fancy's Department Store that includes a photo well190. In this embodiment, the photo ad template 188 is in the form of aninvitation to visit a couple's gift registry for a bridal shower. Thephoto ad template 188 may be used to create photo advertisements inresponse to registering at Fancy's Department Store. Again, the photo adcreation process may be initiated manually by the user or automaticallyin response to a triggering event such as completing a gift registry atFancy's Department Store.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the check-in server 12 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the check-inserver 12 includes a controller 192 connected to memory 194, one or moresecondary storage devices 196, and a communication interface 198 by abus 200 or similar mechanism. The controller 192 is a microprocessor,digital Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), FieldProgrammable Gate Array (FPGA), or similar hardware component. In thisembodiment, the controller 192 is a microprocessor, and the trackingfunction 28, the check-in function 30, and the ad function 32 (FIG. 1)are implemented in software and stored in the memory 194 for executionby the controller 192. Further, the repositories 34, 36, and 38 (FIG. 1)may be implemented in the one or more secondary storage devices 196. Thesecondary storage devices 196 are digital data storage devices such as,for example, one or more hard disk drives. The communication interface198 is a wired or wireless communication interface that communicativelycouples the check-in server 12 to the network 26 (FIG. 1). For example,the communication interface 198 may be an Ethernet interface, localwireless interface such as a wireless interface operating according toone of the suite of IEEE 802.11 standards, or the like.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the social network server 14 according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the socialnetwork server 14 includes a controller 202 connected to memory 204, oneor more secondary storage devices 206, and a communication interface 208by a bus 210 or similar mechanism. The controller 202 is amicroprocessor, digital ASIC,

FPGA, or similar hardware component. In this embodiment, the controller202 is a microprocessor, and the social networking service 42 (FIG. 1)is implemented in software and stored in the memory 204 for execution bythe controller 202. Further, the user accounts repository 44 (FIG. 1)may be implemented in the one or more secondary storage devices 206. Thesecondary storage devices 206 are digital data storage devices such as,for example, one or more hard disk drives. The communication interface208 is a wired or wireless communication interface that communicativelycouples the social network server 14 to the network 26 (FIG. 1). Forexample, the communication interface 208 may be an Ethernet interface,local wireless interface such as a wireless interface operatingaccording to one of the suite of IEEE 802.11 standards, or the like.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of one of the user devices 16 according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. This discussion is equallyapplicable to the other user devices 16 and 22. As illustrated, the userdevice 16 includes a controller 212 connected to memory 214, one or morecommunication interfaces 216, one or more user interface components 218,a location function 220, and an image capture function 221 by a bus 222or similar mechanism. The controller 212 is a microprocessor, digitalASIC, FPGA, or similar hardware component. In this embodiment, thecontroller 212 is a microprocessor, and the check-in client 52 and thesocial network client 54 are implemented in software and stored in thememory 214 for execution by the controller 212. The one or morecommunication interfaces 216 include a wireless communication interfacethat communicatively couples the user device 16 to the network 26 (FIG.1). For example, the wireless interface may be a local wirelessinterface such as a wireless interface operating according to one of thesuite of IEEE 802.11 standards, a mobile communications interface suchas a cellular telecommunications interface (e.g., a 3G interface such asa GSM interface, a 4G interface such as a LTE interface, or the like),or the like. The one or more communication interfaces 216 may alsoinclude an NFC interface. The one or more user interface components 218include, for example, a touchscreen, a display, one or more user inputcomponents (e.g., a keypad), a speaker, or the like, or any combinationthereof. In this embodiment, the location function 220 is a hardwarecomponent such as, for example, a GPS receiver. The image capturefunction 221 is preferably a digital camera enabled to capture picturesto aid in the creation of the photo advertisements.

The systems and methods disclosed herein provide substantial opportunityfor variation without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, as discussed above, the ad function 32 isprimarily described herein as being incorporated in the check-in server12. However, the ad function 32 is not limited thereto. The ad function32 may be incorporated in other types of ad servers as desired. Asanother example, while the check-in server 12 and notably the adfunction 32 are illustrated in FIG. 1 as being separate from the socialnetwork server 14, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Forinstance, the ad function 32 may be implemented in the social networkserver 14. In this case, a photo check-in and a status update based on aphoto advertisement may be one and the same (i.e., the photo check-in isone type of status update). In another embodiment, the photo check-inprocess may be performed at a point-of-sale terminal of a venue, wherebya user may be requested to participate in a photo check-in while payingfor purchased goods, and the user's image may be captured immediately,for instance by a camera integrated with the point-of-sale terminal. Theadvertised product may be identified from one or more products purchasedby the user. The user's social network may be identified whileprocessing the payment, and the user may even be encouraged to hold upthe product in question for the photo capture.

In addition, in some of the embodiments described above, faces ofparticipants are inserted into photo wells in a photo ad template toprovide a resulting photo advertisement. However, it should be notedthat the filler images are preferably adjusted (e.g., resized, cropped,or the like) in order to fit into the corresponding photo well. In analternative embodiment, the filler images may be allowed to overflow orunderflow the bounds of the photo well. Also, while the photo wells havebeen described and illustrated as voids in the photo ad template to befilled by the faces of select participants, the present disclosure isnot limited thereto. Alternatively, the photo wells may be implementedas positions or areas in a photo forming the photo ad template at whichfiller images (e.g., faces) of select participants are to be overlaid.These positions or areas may be manually identified. Alternatively,these positions or areas may be programmatically identified using, forexample, a face recognition process. Similarly, a face detection processmay be used to extract the face of a participant from a filler image.The face of an original person appearing in the photo ad template maythen be replaced with the face of the participant extracted from thefiller image.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. All suchimprovements and modifications are considered within the scope of theconcepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a photo check-in for auser comprising: obtaining one or more photo ad templates applicable toa check-in zone in which the user is located, each photo ad template ofthe one or more photo ad templates comprising one or more photo wells;generating a photo advertisement based on one of the one or more photoad templates such that a filler image of a different one of one or moreparticipants identified for the photo advertisement is inserted intoeach of the one or more photo wells in the one of the one or more photoad templates; and using the photo advertisement as a photo check-in forthe user.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more participantscomprise the user.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprisingidentifying a plurality of potential participants for the photoadvertisement.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein obtaining the one ormore photo ad templates comprises obtaining the one or more photo adtemplates based on the check-in zone in which the user is located andparticipant information that describes the plurality of potentialparticipants.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more photowells of at least one of the one or more photo ad templates are one ormore face knockouts of one or more persons appearing in the at least oneof the one or more photo ad templates, and the participant informationcomprises a number of potential participants in the plurality ofpotential participants.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or morephoto wells of at least one of the one or more photo ad templates areone or more face knockouts of one or more persons appearing in the atleast one of the one or more photo ad templates, and the participantinformation comprises a gender of each of the plurality of potentialparticipants.
 7. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more photowells of at least one of the one or more photo ad templates are one ormore face knockouts of one or more persons appearing in the at least oneof the one or more photo ad templates, and the participant informationcomprises age information for the plurality of potential participants.8. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more photo wells of at leastone of the one or more photo ad templates are one or more face knockoutsof one or more persons appearing in the at least one of the one or morephoto ad templates, and the participant information comprises userprofile information for the plurality of potential participants.
 9. Themethod of claim 4 wherein the one or more photo wells of at least one ofthe one or more photo ad templates are one or more face knockouts of oneor more persons appearing in the at least one of the one or more photoad templates, and the participant information comprises user identifiersfor the plurality of potential participants.
 10. The method of claim 3wherein identifying the plurality of potential participants for thephoto advertisement comprises identifying other users in geographicproximity to the user, further wherein the plurality of potentialparticipants comprise at least one of the other users in geographicproximity to the user.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein identifyingthe other users in geographic proximity to the user comprisesidentifying the other users in geographic proximity to the user using awireless Near Field Communication (NFC) technique.
 12. The method ofclaim 10 wherein identifying the other users in geographic proximity tothe user comprises querying a remote location-based service to identifythe other users in geographic proximity to the user.
 13. The method ofclaim 3 wherein identifying the plurality of potential participants forthe photo advertisement comprises identifying other users in socialproximity to the user, further wherein the plurality of potentialparticipants comprise at least one of the other users in socialproximity to the user.
 14. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying theplurality of potential participants for the photo advertisementcomprises querying a social networking service to identity other usersthat are within a defined degree of separation from the user in a socialnetwork maintained by the social networking service and are ingeographic proximity to the user, further wherein the plurality ofpotential participants comprise at least one of the other usersidentified by querying the social networking service.
 15. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the one or more photo wells of the one of the one ormore photo ad templates are one or more face knockouts of one or morepersons appearing in the one of the one or more photo ad templates, andgenerating the photo advertisement comprises selecting one or moreparticipants for the one or more face knockouts in the one of the one ormore photo ad templates from a plurality of potential participants. 16.The method of claim 15 wherein selecting the one or more participantsfor the one or more face knockouts comprises, for each face knockout ofat least one of the one or more face knockouts, selecting a participantfor the face knockout from the plurality of potential participants basedon a comparison of metadata associated with the face knockout andinformation that describes the plurality of potential participants. 17.The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of obtaining the one or morephoto ad templates, generating the photo advertisement, and using thephoto advertisement as the photo check-in for the user are performed bya user device of the user, and using the photo advertisement as thephoto check-in for the user comprises submitting the photo advertisementto a check-in server.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein submitting thephoto advertisement to the check-in server comprises sending the photoadvertisement to the check-in server.
 19. The method of claim 17 whereinsubmitting the photo advertisement to the check-in server comprisessending, to the check-in server, (a) information that identifies the oneof the one or more photo ad templates, (b) the filler images of the oneor more participants, and (c) information that links the filler imagesof the one or more participants to the one or more photo wells in theone of the one or more photo ad templates.
 20. The method of claim 17wherein submitting the photo advertisement to the check-in servercomprises sending, to the check-in server, (a) information thatidentifies the one of the one or more photo ad templates, (b)information identifying the filler images of the one or moreparticipants, and (c) information that links the filler images of theone or more participants to the one or more photo wells in the one ofthe one or more photo ad templates.
 21. A computing device comprising: acommunication interface; and a controller associated with thecommunication interface and adapted to: obtain one or more photo adtemplates applicable to a check-in zone in which a user is located, eachphoto ad template of the one or more photo ad templates comprising oneor more photo wells; generate a photo advertisement based on one of theone or more photo ad templates such that a filler image of a differentone of one or more participants identified for the photo advertisementis inserted into each of the one or more photo wells in the one of theone or more photo ad templates; and use the photo advertisement as aphoto check-in for the user.
 22. The computing device of claim 21wherein the computing device is a user device of the user, and, in orderto use the photo advertisement as the photo check-in for the user, thecontroller is further adapted to submit the photo advertisement to acheck-in server as the photo check-in for the user.
 23. The computingdevice of claim 22 wherein, in order to submit the photo advertisementto the check-in server, the controller is further adapted to send thephoto advertisement to the check-in server.
 24. The computing device ofclaim 22 wherein, in order to submit the photo advertisement to thecheck-in server, the controller is further adapted to send, to thecheck-in server, (a) information that identifies the one of the one ormore photo ad templates, (b) the filler images of the one or moreparticipants, and (c) information that links the filler images of theone or more participants to the one or more photo wells in the one ofthe one or more photo ad templates.
 25. The computing device of claim 22wherein, in order to submit the photo advertisement to the check-inserver, the controller is further adapted to send, to the check-inserver, (a) information that identifies the one of the one or more photoad templates, (b) information identifying the filler images of the oneor more participants, and (c) information that links the filler imagesof the one or more participants to the one or more photo wells in theone of the one or more photo ad templates.
 26. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing software for instructing a controller of acomputing device to: obtain one or more photo ad templates applicable toa check-in zone in which a user is located, each photo ad template ofthe one or more photo ad templates comprising one or more photo wells;generate a photo advertisement based on one of the one or more photo adtemplates such that a filler image of a different one of one or moreparticipants identified for the photo advertisement is inserted intoeach of the one or more photo wells in the one of the one or more photoad templates; and use the photo advertisement as a photo check-in forthe user.
 27. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving aphoto ad template request from a user device of a user, the photo adtemplate request comprising information that identifies a check-in zonein which the user is located; selecting one or more photo ad templatesthat are applicable to the check-in zone from a plurality of photo adtemplates in response to the photo ad template request, each photo adtemplate of the one or more photo ad templates comprising one or morephoto wells; returning the one or more photo ad templates to the userdevice; receiving photo advertisement data from the user device thatdefines a photo advertisement based on one of the one or more photo adtemplates such that a filler image of a different one of one or moreparticipants identified for the photo advertisement is inserted intoeach of the one or more photo wells in the one of the one or more photoad templates to provide the photo advertisement; and publishing thephoto advertisement as a photo check-in for the user.
 28. The method ofclaim 27 wherein the photo advertisement data is the photoadvertisement.
 29. The method of claim 27 wherein the photoadvertisement data comprises: (a) information that identifies the one ofthe one or more photo ad templates, (b) the filler images of the one ormore participants identified for the photo advertisement, and (c)information that links the filler images of the one or more participantsidentified for the photo advertisement to the one or more photo wells ofthe one of the one or more photo ad templates.
 30. The method of claim27 wherein the photo advertisement data comprises: (a) information thatidentifies the one of the one or more photo ad templates, (b)information that identifies the filler images of the one or moreparticipants identified for the photo advertisement, and (c) informationthat links the filler images of the one or more participants identifiedfor the photo advertisement to the one or more photo wells of the one ofthe one or more photo ad templates.
 31. The method of claim 27 whereinthe photo ad template request further comprises participant informationthat identifies one or more potential participants identified for thephoto advertisement, and selecting the one or more photo ad templatescomprises selecting the one or more photo ad templates based on thecheck-in zone and the participant information.
 32. The method of claim27 further comprising sending the photo advertisement to a socialnetworking service as a status update of the user.
 33. The method ofclaim 27 further comprising: storing the photo advertisement; receivingan ad request from a requestor; and providing the photo advertisement tothe requestor in response to the ad request.
 34. A server computercomprising: a communication interface; and a controller associated withthe communication interface and adapted to: receive a photo ad templaterequest from a user device of a user, the photo ad template requestcomprising information that identifies a check-in zone in which the useris located; select one or more photo ad templates that are applicable tothe check-in zone from a plurality of photo ad templates in response tothe photo ad template request, each photo ad template of the one or morephoto ad templates comprising one or more photo wells; return the one ormore photo ad templates to the user device; receive photo advertisementdata from the user device that defines a photo advertisement based onone of the one or more photo ad templates such that a filler image of adifferent one of one or more participants identified for the photoadvertisement is inserted into each of the one or more photo wells inthe one of the one or more photo ad templates to provide the photoadvertisement; and publish the photo advertisement as a photo check-infor the user.
 35. A non-transitory computer readable medium storingsoftware for instructing a controller of a computing device to: receivea photo ad template request from a user device of a user, the photo adtemplate request comprising information that identifies a check-in zonein which the user is located; select one or more photo ad templates thatare applicable to the check-in zone from a plurality of photo adtemplates in response to the photo ad template request, each photo adtemplate of the one or more photo ad templates comprising one or morephoto wells; return the one or more photo ad templates to the userdevice; receive photo advertisement data from the user device thatdefines a photo advertisement based on one of the one or more photo adtemplates such that a filler image of a different one of one or moreparticipants identified for the photo advertisement is inserted intoeach of the one or more photo wells in the one of the one or more photoad templates to provide the photo advertisement; and publish the photoadvertisement as a photo check-in for the user.